Schlagwort: marine CDR

Peer-reviewed Publications

Nagaraj et al. (2026): Thrombolites as a potential nature-based solution for carbon dioxide removal

Veena Nagaraj, Daniel Gorman, M. James McLaughlin, Santonu K. Sanyal, Thomas Jones, et al., IN: Carbon Capture Science & Technology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccst.2026.100651

Achieving net-zero targets requires emerging carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pathways capable of contributing to long-term carbon storage. Microbialite communities, including stromatolites and thrombolites, are promising but under-explored biological platforms with potential for scalable CDR. Their deployment has been limited by uncertainties surrounding survivability in seawater, biomineralisation rates, net CO₂ drawdown, and compatibility with engineered substrates. Here, the authors address four conceptual barriers using thrombolites from hypersaline Lake Clifton (Western Australia).

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Kim et al. (2026): Net primary production of cultivated Saccharina japonica (Laminariales) as an indicator of carbon dioxide removal potential in seaweed aquaculture

Boseong Kim, Hyung Woo Lee, Yeo Jin Yoon, Eun Ju Kang, Changsin Kim, Jin Woo Kang et al., IN: Aquaculture, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2026.744346

Seaweed aquaculture has been increasingly recognized as a potential nature-based solution for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), yet quantitative estimates of carbon uptake remain limited, particularly at cultivation scales. In this study, the authors estimated the net primary production (NPP) of cultivated kelp (Saccharina japonica) by integrating in situ measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) uptake with irradiance and biomass dynamics. Seasonal photosynthesis–irradiance (P–E) relationships were derived from field incubation experiments and combined with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) data to model daily DIC uptake rates. These rates were then scaled with biomass variability over the cultivation cycle to estimate monthly and annual NPP.

LINK⁠

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Melendez-Perez et al. (2026): Stability assessment of calcium carbonate dissolution as a marine carbon dioxide removal mechanism

Amanda B. Melendez-Perez, Kimberly Gilbert and Tyler Cyronak, IN: Frontiers in Marine Science, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1796693

Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) is a promising approach for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by increasing seawater alkalinity. However, the effectiveness of OAE depends on avoiding the precipitation of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) that would reduce OAE efficiency by removing added alkalinity before CO₂ uptake can occur, or in cases of more extensive precipitation, potentially release CO₂ back to the atmosphere (e.g., ‘runaway’ precipitation). The authors examined the stability of alkalinity-enhanced seawater under conditions relevant to CaCO₃-based OAE by dissolving CaCO₃ in CO₂-enriched seawater and testing three alkalinity additions (+3,000, +7,000, and +14,000 µmol kg⁻¹) at two temperatures (5 °C and 25 °C) using two CO₂ equilibration approaches. They also evaluated how mixing alkalinity-enhanced water with natural water from the Savannah River influences stability across different salinity levels and conditions.

LINK⁠

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Boettcher & Kim (2026): Pollution or protection? The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea’s advisory opinion on climate change and its relevance for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR)

Miranda Boettcher and Rakhyun E. Kim, IN: International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-026-09727-y

In May 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) published an advisory opinion on climate change. Many expected that this decision would help to clarify the balance between the paradigms of ocean protection and utilisation in the context of climate change. This is especially relevant for governing emerging marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches being proposed to increase the carbon drawdown potential of the ocean to mitigate climate change. Does mCDR constitute marine pollution or marine protection in the face of climate change? To help answer this question, the authors analyse the advisory opinion and map the different emerging interpretations of the decision in relation to mCDR.

LINK⁠

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Geilert et al. (2026): Effectiveness of olivine dissolution in beach simulations for ocean alkalinity enhancement – insights from flow-through experiments

Sonja Geilert, Lucille Hoogerdijk, Yasmina Ben Hammou Abboud, Fabrice Pernet, Jessica Volz, Andre Baldermann, Mariëtte Wolthers and Cale A. Miller, IN: EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3096

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is required to mitigate climate change and to keep global warming below 1.5 to 2 °C. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) in the coastal environment is a promising and relatively low-cost technique, that could enhance marine CO₂ sequestration via silicate weathering. The high-energy environment in the surf zone is especially promising as constant grain collision provides a natural grinding mechanism, potentially enhancing alkaline mineral dissolution. In this study, the authors experimentally investigated the dissolution of dunite, an olivine-rich ultramafic rock, in natural Atlantic seawater using flow-through reactors. In the experiment, pure dunite (from now on referred to as olivine; forsterite endmember), beach sand (from the coast of West Brittany) and a mixture of olivine and beach sand (olivine/sand) was studied under turbulent and stagnant conditions, in order to identify the effect of grinding on mineral dissolution and alkalinity generation.

LINK⁠

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

D’Adamo et al. (2026): Economic Assessment of Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Through Electrodialysis: The Role of Carbon Credits in Comparing Solar Energy and Thermal Waste Technologies

Idiano D’Adamo, Gabriele Graziano and Francesco Ferella, IN: Advanced Sustainable Systems, https://doi.org/10.1002/adsu.70518

This study evaluates the economic feasibility of an Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) plant for CO₂ removal by comparing Solar Energy (SE) and Thermal Energy Waste (TEW) configurations under varying carbon credit price and inflation scenarios in order to assess investment attractiveness. The methodology is based on a discounted cash flow model, using Net Present Value (NPV) as the primary indicator, applied to a plant with an annual CO₂ removal capacity of 878 tonnes, located in the United States and assessed over a 20-year time horizon.

LINK⁠

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Gately et al. (2026): Abrupt alkalinization alters microbial diversity and promotes the proliferation of marine parasites in coastal microcosm experiments

James A Gately, Sylvia M Kim, Zoe S Welch, Joaquín Martínez Martínez, Dylan Catlett, Benjamin Jin, Madeline Manzagol, Angela Larson, Mark A Brzezinski and Maria D Iglesias-Rodriguez, IN: ICES Journal of Marine Science, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsag063

Mitigation of anthropogenic climate interference will likely require the removal of legacy atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is an abiotic marine carbon dioxide removal approach that accelerates the natural Earth process of rock weathering, but its effects on marine ecosystems remain uncertain. Here, the authors used outdoor microcosm experiments to investigate the effects of abrupt limestone-inspired and NaOH alkalinity additions of ∼750 μmol kg−1, reflecting model-predicted OAE scenarios that produce severe localized impacts (e.g. large variations in pH and Ω). They assess the response of seasonal marine microbial communities (phytoplankton, bacteria) and viruses from the Santa Barbara Channel, analyzed by high-throughput amplicon sequencing and flow cytometry.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Miller et al. (2026): Lagrangian Flux Decomposition (LFD): Fast Probabilistic Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Modeling via Stochastic Lagrangian Transport and Carbonate System Accounting

Jordan Hood Miller, Trond Kristiansen, and Momme Butenschön, IN: ESS Open Archive, https://doi.org/10.22541/essoar.15002617/v1

Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) requires ocean modeling to quantify efficacy, environmental risk, and uncertainty across scales. Estimating air–sea carbon fluxes and associated impacts is crucial for project planning and for Measurement, Reporting, and Verification under emerging standards. Existing approaches, primarily Eulerian dynamic models, face scalability limits due to tradeoffs between resolution and domain size, restricting their ability to assess multiple sites, configurations, and future ocean scenarios. The authors introduce the Lagrangian Flux Decomposition framework, which quantifies the difference in air–sea carbon dioxide flux between an mCDR intervention and a counterfactual and attributes that difference to tracer particle contributions over time.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Seck & Engler (2026): A human rights-based approach to marine carbon dioxide removal governance – Preprint

Sara L. Seck, Cecilia Engler, IN: SSRN, https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6506839

Since the 2015 adoption of the Paris Agreement, research into marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), particularly technological mCDR, has received increased attention. Several research institutions and start-up companies are conducting field research, including tapping into the voluntary carbon markets. This research and potential large-scale development is taking place in the context of a fragmented international legal landscape that does not provide adequate global standards for states and businesses. Human rights law, particularly the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, is becoming an increasingly important framework for ocean governance, including the assessment of marine climate interventions. This article summarises the content of a human rights-based approach to mCDR, clarifying what it would mean for governments, businesses, and mCDR researchers to take human rights seriously so that neither present nor future generations bear a disproportionate burden. To this end, the article draws on the advisory opinions of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the International Court of Justice, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, addressing State obligations in the context of the climate emergency. It also draws on selected human rights law mechanisms, with particular focus on the UNGA resolution recognizing the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, 2018 Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment and the 2011 United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Webb & Silverman-Roati (2026): The Legal Framework for Direct Ocean Carbon Capture and Storage (Volume 1: International Law)

Romany M. Webb, Korey Silverman-Roati, IN: Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/sabin_climate_change/271/

This paper focuses on the marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approach of direct ocean carbon capture and storage (DOCCS), which aims to remove some of the carbon currently stored in the ocean and thereby enable it to uptake additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. DOCCS is still undergoing research, but early studies suggest it could have significant carbon dioxide removal potential. However, DOCCS could also present environmental and other risks, including from the construction of new facilities, the intake and processing of water, and the handling and storage of carbon dioxide. Careful siting, design, and operation of DOCCS systems is essential to mitigate these risks.

LINK

#